CME IMPACT POSSIBLE THIS WEEKEND: A faint CME that left the sun on May 7th could strike Earth's magnetic field on May 11th, according to NOAA analysts. The plasma cloud was hurled into space by an explosion in the magnetic canopy of big sunspot AR2740. If the CME does strike, it will likely be a glancing blow sparking only minor geomagnetic storms. Instant Aurora Alerts: SMS Text.
SUNSPOT BREAKING APART? Big sunspot AR2740 may be breaking apart. Magnetograms of the region made by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory show a magnetic canyon forming at the heart of the sunspot, literally splitting the sunspot in two:
This type of canyon is also known as a "light bridge" because the magnetic gap allows light and heat from below to shine through. The nature of light bridges is not fully understood. They often herald the break-up of a sunspot, with jets of plasma shooting up from the chasm as the sunspot decays.
The light bridge is easy to see even in backyard solar telescopes. Take a closer look at this image taken today by amateur astronomer Peter Desypris of Athens,Greece:
His photo shows not only the growing canyon at the heart of AR2740 but also a long dark magnetic filament snaking away from the active region. A lot is going on. "It's hard to believe we're seeing this during Solar Minimum," says Desypris.
Readers with solar telescopes are encouraged to monitor developments.
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MOTHER'S DAY IS THIS WEEKEND: Are you looking for an out-of-this world Mother's Day gift? Consider this: Every time the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launch a cosmic ray balloon, they include something extra in the payload--something mom will love:
Every item in the Earth to Sky Store has flown to the edge of space and comes with a greeting card showing the item in flight. The interior of the card tells the story of the gift's journey from launch to landing. Mom-satisfaction guaranteed!
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